PALM SUNDAY OF THE YEAR B 24

24 MARCH 2024, PALM SUNDAY: ISAIAH 50. 4-7; PHIL 2. 6-11; MARK 14.1 – 15.47   Focus: The life of following Jesus is like a procession. In this procession, we need to see what our motives are, whether this procession is out of loyalty or out of ulterior motives   1.      Palm Sunday is one of the threesome of the Holy Week, which comprises Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. Today Jesus solemnly enters Jerusalem, the city of destiny. There he would be tried, persecuted, and killed on the cross. But he would rise from death victoriously and gloriously. 2.       His entry into the earthly Jerusalem signifies his entry into the heavenly Jerusalem, the heaven. But that heavenly entry must be preceded by trial and death, the moments of the way of the cross and crucifixion. There is no glory without suffering. There is no resurrection without passion and crucifixion. 3.       The crowd on the Palm Sunday represents the whole of humanity. This comprises different categories and different mentalities of people. There are people sincere and insincere, well-motivated and ill-motivated, trusting and stable, unbelieving and unstable, loyal and disloyal, spiritual and unspiritual. 4.       The occasion is solemn entry into Jerusalem and the kingly procession. But the readings are passion or suffering readings that focus on the aspect of suffering. This also shows the nature of our God, the nature of our salvation. Our God is a God who suffers for our sake. And our salvation entails necessarily suffering. 5.       The crowd on Palm Sunday turns into a crowd on Good Friday within a very few days. This shows how shallow was their faith in Jesus and their life of faith. It was a crowd that was largely non-committal toward Jesus. They had no deep loyalty to Jesus. Their faith was not deep. Their relationship with Jesus was not intimate or personal. Their faith was mostly based on favours and miracles. It was superficial and peripheral. 6.       Shallowness leads to unsteadiness and then wickedness. Being not deep-rooted and not committed, they were so wavering in their response and behaviour. They were expectant of something worldly and spectacular from Jesus. They were excited over their wrong expectations about Jesus. When Jesus upsets their political ambitions and earthly interests, they become frustrated and wicked. Thus, Palm Sunday turns into Passion Sunday. Direction: Am I also so unstable in my loyalty to the Lord? Do I also easily change the party from good to evil? Do I also have the same tendency of betraying my Lord from “Hosanna! Hosanna!” to “Crucify him! Crucify him!”?   (Reflection 2)   1.      Often I am fascinated by the whole scene of Palm Sunday, called also Passion Sunday. Why? I see a vivid connection and parallel between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. In both scenes, there is a procession; there is excitement; there is enthusiasm; there is crowd; there is noise and commotion; there is Jesus the central figure; there is a big following and accompaniment. 2.       But there is also a vital difference: the mood is different; the ambience is different; the intentions are different; the presentation and the figure of Jesus are different; the type of slogans is different; the destination and the end of the procession is different. 3.       On Palm Sunday, it is a royal procession; it is a rather favourable crowd, with positive slogans; Jesus is honoured as a king, seated on a donkey; the way is streets of Jerusalem, with clothes spread along; the purpose is to install Jesus as king; and the destination is the temple of Jerusalem, the centre of the city. 4.       But on Good Friday, it is a “criminal” procession; it is a hostile crowd; with hateful slogans; Jesus is disgraced as a criminal, loaded with the cross; the way is the road to Mount Calvary, marked with dust, stones, and his blood; the purpose is to crucify Jesus as a blasphemer, as a rebel, as a heretic; the destination is Calvary, on the periphery of the city. 5.       What is very interesting and strange is, that it is the same crowd and that too within a span of just four days. The whole scene changes. The whole “passion for” Jesus on Palm Sunday, ends up in the “passion of” Jesus on Good Friday. 6.      Just to pick up some sudden contrast of details of scenes: palms in arms turn into arms to harm, into scourges; joyful cries of hosanna, hosanna turn into resentful shouts of ‘crucify him, crucify him’; donkey turns into a cross; king into a criminal; sentiment into resentment; felicitation into persecution; kingly crown into thorny crown; clothes of welcome and honour into stones and thistles of rejection; applause into abuse; smooth ride into bloody stumbling; coronation into crucifixion; glory into misery. 7.       It is here we need to focus, not so much on the exact and crude details of Jesus’ trial, cross, and suffering. Rather what are the leading factors, and why and how does he accept and bear all of that? It is the sharp contrast between the single and undivided nature, perspective, motive, and goal of Jesus, and the divided nature, divided and deviated perspectives, motives, and goals of the people. 8.       Jesus’ nature is divine and noble. His perspective is spiritual and noble. His motive is inner renewal and transformation. And his goal is heaven and kingdom. But the nature of the people is human and fragile. Their perspective is totally material and unworthy. Their motive is worldly gains and self-interest. Their goal is an earthly king and an earthly kingdom against the Roman empire. 9.       Thus there is a wide chasm between Jesus and the people. This leads them to such a shocking compromise, instability, infidelity, and defection, in contrast to Jesus’ conviction, stability, fidelity, and dedication, which really confront, challenge, and frustrate them. 10.       This is the right and apt time to do a little self-checkup concerning our own nature, perspectives, motives, and goals. How often do we fall to compromise, instability, infidelity, and defection, failing in conviction and commitment to the Lord? Are we not among and like those people, whenever we are easily carried away by our own weaknesses, material and unspiritual perspectives, self-centred interests and gains, and cheap and low goals? Imperative: Let us surely feel for the Lord who suffers so much by such disloyalty and betrayal. But let us also as much feel pain and repentance concerning our own selves, who hurt and torment him daily by our compromising attitudes, false values, ill character, and wrong-footed behaviour and actions.